Title: Framing a new approach to critical infrastructure modelling and extreme events

Authors: David M. Simpson, Thomas D. Rockaway, Terry A. Weigel, Paul A. Coomes, Carol O. Holloman

Addresses: Center for Hazards Research and Policy Development, University of Louisville, 426 West Bloom St, Louisville, KY 40208, USA. ' Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40208, USA. ' Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40208, USA. ' Department of Economics, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40208, USA. ' Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40208, USA

Abstract: This paper proposes a new framework to evaluate and improve the resiliency of communities as they face the risk of multiple hazards and cascading infrastructure failure. The central idea is to extend engineering-based fragility models of the effect of extreme events on physical infrastructure and to combine them with regional, economic and social impact models. The modelling framework would support analyses of the sensitivity of a community to varying events, signalling weak links in regional infrastructure systems and subsystems, and suggesting a more efficient allocation of federal, state, and local preparedness resources.

Keywords: infrastructure failure; extreme events; community resilience; disaster planning; fragility curves; emergency planning; preparedness; critical infrastructures; fragility models; impact models; regional infrastructure; resource allocation; critical infrastructure modelling.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCIS.2005.006115

International Journal of Critical Infrastructures, 2005 Vol.1 No.2/3, pp.125 - 143

Published online: 06 Feb 2005 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article